Xbox on Windows

Topics

Which countries/regions can use Xbox Live on Windows 8 and Windows RT?

Xbox Live on Windows 8 and Windows RT is available in the following locations (languages are in parentheses):

Australia (English)

Austria (German)

Belgium (Dutch and French)

Brazil (Brazilian Portuguese)

Canada (English and French)

Chile (Spanish)

Colombia (Spanish)

Czech Republic (Czech)

Denmark (Danish)

Finland (Finnish)

France (French)

Germany (German)

Greece (Greek)

Hong Kong (Traditional Chinese)

Hungary (Hungarian)

India (English)

Ireland (English)

Italy (Italian)

Japan (Japanese)

Korea (Korean)

Mexico (Spanish)

Netherlands (Dutch)

New Zealand (English)

Norway (Norwegian)

Poland (Polish)

Portugal (Portuguese)

Russia (Russian)

Singapore (English)

South Africa (English)

Spain (Spanish)

Sweden (Swedish)

Switzerland (French and German)

Taiwan (Traditional Chinese)

United Kingdom (English)

United States (English)

What are Xbox apps on Windows 8 and Windows RT?

Xbox apps on Windows 8 and Windows RT include the Video, Music, Games and SmartGlass apps. These apps are designed to allow you to access and interact with the Xbox ecosystem from your PC.

What features are available in the Xbox SmartGlass app?

The free Xbox SmartGlass app lets you access entertainment content through your Xbox Live account using your Windows 8-based computer or Slate and then play it back on your TV through your Xbox 360 console. You can use any available input controls, including touch, mouse or keyboard to navigate and control your content playback with the app. In addition, the app shows you detailed information about the films, TV programmes, games and music that you’re enjoying.

What are the “Music” and “Video” tiles?

The Music and Video tiles on Windows 8 are Xbox Live applications that you can use to play your local media files.

I already have a gamertag. Will it work with the Music and Video apps on Xbox Live on Windows 8? Do I need to create a new account?

You don’t need to create a new account, but you can if you want to. On your computer, when you go to PC settings and sign in using the Microsoft account (formerly Windows Live ID) associated with your gamertag, you’ll be automatically signed in to any Xbox Live app that you open in Windows 8 or Windows RT.

How do I create an Xbox profile for my child on Windows 8?

You and your child each need a (free) Microsoft account. Have your child join Xbox Live (a Free membership is available). You’ll need to sign in with your Microsoft account to complete the process. Once your child has signed up for Xbox Live, the child will be able to sign in and use the Xbox apps in Windows 8.

How can I find out how much is left of my monthly streaming limit?

In the Xbox Music app in Windows 8 or Windows RT, swipe from the right or go to the upper-right or lower-right corner to open the Charms bar.

Tap or click Settings, and then tap or click Preferences.

Under Monthly streaming limit view the bar that shows the time you have left.

Note The bar chart only appears if you don’t have an active Xbox Music Pass.

How do I add music to the Music app?

To add music to the Music app in Windows 8 or Windows RT:

At the Windows 8 or Windows RT default screen on your computer, find and click the Desktop tile. This will take you to the classic desktop view.

Select Windows Explorer (the manila folder next to the Internet Explorer icon).

Under Libraries, select Music.

Right-click Music, and then select Properties.

Click Add.

Include the folders where your music is stored.

Click OK.

Exit and restart the Music app.

Note If music content is stored externally (for example, on a USB flash drive or external hard drive), you can copy or move the content to any folder in the Library locations field, and the Music app will pick up the content.

What else can I do in the Xbox Music app?

You can browse and search Xbox Music and buy individual songs or full albums. You can see the music in your local collection and play it back in a Now Playing experience that includes artists’ pictures and details like biographies and discographies. You can also snap the Music app to the side to play music while using another app, and you can share a selection using the Share Charm.

What can I do if music content is not displaying after I add it to my music collection?

To resolve this problem, follow these steps:

On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and the E key at the same time to open Windows Explorer.

Under Libraries, expand Music.

Right-click My Music, and then click Properties.

Click Advanced.

Do one of the following:

If the Allow files in this folder to have contents indexed in addition to file properties check box is selected, go to step 6.

If the Allow files in this folder to have contents indexed in addition to file properties check box is not selected, go to step 10.

Click to clear the Allow files in this folder to have contents indexed in addition to file properties check box.

Click OK, and then click Apply.

In the Confirm Attribute Changes dialogue box, click Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files and then click OK.

In the My Music Properties window, click Advanced.

Click to select the Allow files in this folder to have contents indexed in addition to file properties check box, click OK, and then click Apply.

In the Confirm Attribute Changes dialogue box, click Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files and then click OK.

Click OK.

Repeat steps 2-12 for every folder under Music.

Note The window titles will change to reflect the name of the folder.

After you do this for your music library folders, exit and restart the music app.

When the music app opens, it will start inspecting the music library and should start receiving the album and artist data.

Note Windows 8 and Windows RT generally suspend apps when they are running in the background. If you want make sure that the music app keeps processing, you need to keep it in the foreground or snapped to the side.

How do I add videos to the Video app?

To add videos to the Video app in Windows 8 or Windows RT:

At the Windows 8 or Windows RT default screen on your computer, find and click the Desktop tile. This will take you to the classic desktop view.

Select Windows Explorer (the manila folder next to the Internet Explorer icon).

Under Libraries, select Video.

Right-click Video, and then select Properties.

Click Add.

Include the folders where your videos are stored.

Click OK.

Note If video content is stored externally (for example, on a flash drive or an external hard drive) you can copy or move the content to any folder in the Library locations, and the Video app will pick up the content.

If you have video content stored on a network or network access storage (NAS) drive, note that the Video app currently only supports content stored on network shares hosted by Windows operating systems. Windows Search and Desktop Experience features must be installed, and Indexing must be enabled for the share. Once these features are installed and enabled, you may have to rebuild the index for network shares to function correctly with the Video app.

What else can I do in the Video app?

Browse the TV & Movies Store to buy (in supported locales) the TV episode or film of your choice.

Watch the videos in your personal collection in a touch-optimised playback experience.

Use Play to Xbox to cue up the film or TV episode on your Xbox 360 console.

Use the Share Charm feature to share your favourites with your friends.